No Surrender

Coffee Table Thoughts {16} : No Surrender

Knockouts Championship Match

Miss Tessmacher (C) Vs Tara

There is no bad blood between these two. In fact, they both respect each other very much. Miss Tessmacher believes that she has learned everything that she knows from Tara during their time as knockouts Tag Team champions. And it is not a lie. During an episode of Open Fight Night feature of Impact Wrestling, Miss Tessmacher (who was the Knockouts champion at the time) called out Tara for a match. She was the Knockouts champion at the time and yet she needed to prove herself to...herself. The challenge failed, however and Tara was declared the winner of the match. Because of this victory, Tara got a shot at the Knockouts championship which I am sure Miss Tessmacher happily agrees to. This rivalry is what we would call a healthy competition and it’s important to have such rivalries once in a while.

On to the match, although it is Miss Tessmacher who is the champion and will be defending her Knockouts championship, it is an upheaval task for her to one up her very mentor! I like the tone of this storyline. Tara is a great wrestler (looks very cute in those sports bikini bottoms) and Miss Tessmacher is slowly improving in the ring. I expect a good match between the two.

Knockouts division has faced quite a huge loss in the last month or two with a lot of high profile exits but you know what? I actually like that situation. I think every single Knockout has been there for quite a while and every match-up that the management was able to come up with seemed very outdated. Winter may have been a relative new face and could have had some feuds but otherwise there were only same old faces in the Knockouts division. I think it is a great time for TNA to pick up not only some rookie female wrestlers but also some well decorated Indy veterans. This will ensure there are fresh wrestlers and feuds to look forward to. However, for some time, Gail Kim, Tara, Miss Tessmacher and Madison Rayne can carry the division well. This current rivalry is too fresh to let it end so soon and the title reign of Miss Tessmacher has been very short after regaining it from Madison Rayne. I think both the feud and the reign will continue.

TNA X-Division Championship Match

Zema Ion (Champion) Vs Sonjay Dutt

I have heard a lot of praises for Sonjay Dutt who is a fellow Indian but I have not witnessed his work. He was weirdly entertaining in the brief period for which Ring Ka King lasted. But I hadn’t witnessed the whole thing and never saw his match. I am looking forward to see him in action in No Surrender.

Due to the paucity of time, both of these wrestlers haven’t been present on television as much as one would wish. So there is not enough fuel in their feud. But X-Division has been a staple of good wrestling in TNA and this particular belt has been the most important championship of the organisation many a times. It isn’t that time right now, but we can expect an entertaining and fast match full of spots.

World Tag Team Championship

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian (C) Vs AJ Styles and Kurt Angle

Christopher Daniels has been an entertaining watch during his time in the company. His never ending feud with AJ Styles is annoying sometimes but Daniels always saves the segment/match from being bad. I loved that baby shower segment from a few weeks ago with Daniels and Kazarian giving out entertaining gifts to the future child of AJ Styles, which was not to be.

This last episode of Impact, Hulk Hogan was set on a task to find the team that could challenge the team of CD and Kaz. AJ Styles was rejected outright because he did not have a partner. Kid Cash and Gunner had been eliminated because they had taken the feud with Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez very personally. Finally, after eliminating the team of two Robbies, he had given the nod to Mexican team of Chavo and Hernandez. And what a fun match it turned out to be! A fast paced, action packed tag team match. Do look out for it if you like yourself some tag wrestling.

CD and Kaz were able to retain their titles despite a brilliant effort from CG and Super Mex. Hulk Hogan then came out to declare that they would be defending their titles against AJ Styles and the partner that he was missing earlier, Kurt Angle. And the tag team scene in the TNA went from not so good looking to absolutely hot! This feud is not going to end anytime soon but I would wish Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez get added to the mix soon.

Magnus Vs Rob Van Dam

Magnus was a part of the Bound for Glory series. But ever since he was booted out of the tournament, he started behaving funnily. He even snapped after losing to Samoa Joe. But because the good guy that he is, he came out to apologize to Samoa Joe for his actions and reminded everyone that “We were good. I mean I was great, but we were gooood!” Stating in no unclear terms that Samoa Joe held him down. And then he attacked Samoa Joe from behind. After Rob Van Dam had lost his match, and was getting interviewed, Magnus showed up again. He mocked Rob Van Dam for not being the same RVD that had set the bar so high that even he cannot reach it anymore.

There is not too much history between the two, this feud hasn’t been slowly in the making either. But it doesn’t need to be. Impact Wrestling Creative team took the short time that they had for building this feud and used it very well. Now, the feud may not have been in the making for a long time but the character development of Magnus has been in the works for a few weeks at least and it fits in very well. He wants to be cocky and look for fights at any place that he can get.

Rob Van Dam has pretty much been the same wrestler that he has always been. So there is nothing absolutely groundbreaking that can be expected from this match. However, it will be worth a watch how Magnus handles the story of the match. I have heard nothing but praises for Magnus and it would be great opportunity for him to show off his worth.

Austin Aries Vs ‘The Arm Breaker’

Aces and Eights has been the focal point of the Impact Wrestling tapings for months. It is a group of people that are undisclosed and wear masks and beat down Impact Wrestling Superstars. They ambushed their World Champion too and even tried to break his arm. So Austin Aries, being the stud that he is, is looking for some revenge. He called out the big guy and now they’re set to fight against each other. One thing to note here is that Austin Aries is the World Champion right now and he would be competing in a non-title match in such a huge pay per view. Does it make any sense?

It makes all the sense in the world, actually. See, Robert Roode had been the World Heavyweight Champion for far too long. He lost his title to Austin Aries and then lost a rematch too. If the intention was to keep the title on Aries for some time, it didn’t make sense to make Bobby job out to Aries thrice in a row. Also, as the Bound for Glory is not far away, it would have defeated the purpose of the tournament if someone else was given the opportunity.

It may piss of a few people, but I like how TNA avoids putting a World Championship match on the line on some of the Pay per Views. Such a situation also existed when Bobby Roode fought Sting. It takes away the monotonous nature of World Championship matches and we avoid some unnecessary match-ups in the process.

One more thing I like about TNA is how they handle their main event talent. Notice how Bobby Roode has been absent in recent times? Noticed how Mr Anderson was given some time off earlier this year because Creative had nothing for him? Remember James Storm taking time away to go home and spend some time with his family to find out if he still wanted to do this? If a wrestler is absent from television for a few weeks, he may be erased from the memory of the audience in normal circumstances. That is not the case for the main event level talent, though. These short breaks actually provide a sort of refreshment to them and also to the audience. If they keep getting featured on every episode without much to do, they might get stale and that is not a good thing. So I think, in a way this short space of air-time that TNA has is actually helping them in some way.

Interesting point about this match is that we don’t know who this Giant is. We don’t know if he is going to remove his mask or not. I think it will be ending with the rest of the Aces and Eights coming in to cause a disqualification. I don’t think the pay-off to this storyline would come this soon.

Bound For Glory Series

James Storm was on the top of the leaderboard and therefore he got to choose his opponent for the Semi finals of the Bound for Glory series. So whom does he choose? He chooses Bully Ray because it is Bully Ray who had defeated James Storm in the last year’s Bound for Glory series semi final match. Also, Bully Ray had a hand in making James Storm look like a villain when he claimed, along with Bobby Roode, that James Storm was a part of Aces and Eights.

So there is a nice little story woven in there. The aspect that interests me the most is that Bully Ray was the one that had defeated James Storm in the semi finals in the last year. It’s an interesting stat. More and more such stats would keep coming over the years and this series has been a real highlight of the Impact Wrestling for the time it stayed.

James Storm has been pushed heavily during the last year and even in the Bound for Glory series. He was head and shoulders above everyone else. He has already proven that he is a worthy main eventer and it would be very difficult to hold him back. Many had predicted from the time the series began that it would be James Storm who would emerge victorious. A lot of things have changed since then, though. For one, who is right behind James Storm in the rankings? The Samoan Submission Machine, Samoa Joe. Samoa Joe is an absolute beast of a performer. He brings a level of intensity in his matches that can only be matched by the man that never even existed. He has been with the company for a long time and has been a former world champion but his booking and position in the company during last couple of years was not very umm, good. However, he has been pushed heavily during the Bound for Glory series. His possible return to the main event probably began when he started teaming up with Magnus and began a reign of terror on the tag team division. The company may have found a likening to this man all over again and that’s why I won’t count him out of this tournament just now.

Then, we have Jeff Hardy. Everyone remembers that Victory Road incident. Jeff Hardy has come a long way from that night and has turned his career and life, apparently. He is more over than probably anyone else in the company right now. So it is not that difficult to imagine him becoming the series winner. And if that happens, it can be a true Cinderella story. This would be seen as a huge triumph for him and makes for a good story.

What also makes a good story, however, is a tag team wrestler for life turning his career around and, after 15-20 years in the business, finally winning the most coveted prize in one of the major companies in the business. Bully Ray has made himself into a hateable character and does not seem out of place from the main event. Consider also the fact that the champion right now, is someone that has had some interesting rivalry with Bully Ray in the last year. In fact, out of all the 4 participants, Bully Ray seems the most appropriate choice to fight Austin Aries. Austin Aries is a face and so are the rest of the three semi-finalists. It makes sense to have Bully Ray as the winner as a heel going up against a face.

Most importantly, it is Bound for Glory where we are headed. It is TNA’s version of Wrestlemania. Or at least that’s how they have treated the event as. What that means is we are more likely to see the major feuds that took place during the year to end there. Those feuds that haven’t ended. There hasn’t been a conclusion to the awesome rivalry between James Storm and Bobby Roode which pushed both of them to hopefully, the Superstardom. Samoa Joe has a ready nemesis in his former partner, Magnus. I am not sure about Jeff Hardy – will he fight Mr Anderson?

My gut feeling says it will come down to Bully Ray Vs Jeff Hardy. And one of them will go on to have a triumphant story at the Bound for Glory.

In any case, I am looking forward to this event. Hope you enjoy the event too.

Street Fight - Greatest Match Ever

Street Fight - The Greatest Match Ever

                       

I have been summoned here to argue why Street Fight is the greatest match type that has ever been invented.

See, I am not blind. I know who my audience is. The regulars that inhabit this dungeon known as Columns Forum have years of experience in not only watching varied forms of wrestling but also in writing thought-provokingly on the same.

I, therefore, feel that it is an impossible task to convince you fine folks that The Street Fight is the absolute finest form of match type that has ever been invented. I am not even going to try that and insult your intelligence.

What I can do, however, is make a case for it.

There is literally no singular match-type that can carry the weight of the entire wrestling product on itself. A simplistic, regular match-type in Match for one fall has taken the unenviable task of carrying most of the load of the wrestling product, but it does not make the product special. What makes the product special is the variety that is involved in it. There are so many dimensions in the wrestling product that it puts any SyFy movie made in 3D to shame.

You want to just fill the time without thinking up much about it? You have One Fall match which is nothing but the regular bread and butter match. You want some comedy? Throw in a Tuxedo match. You want to arouse your audience for some weird reason? There’s a Bra and Panty match at your service. You want your audience to cringe? Put Kelly Kelly in a match against well, anyone.

It’s like Sex. Teasing, Caressing, Fore-play, the act itself, After-play etc. are all ingredients of the entire activity known as Sexual Intercourse. But the ultimate climax of it all is the Orgasm. You can’t really have Sex without experiencing Orgasm. And the Street Fight is the Orgasm of Wrestling.

More so, it is a female orgasm – it is rare. Street Fight hasn’t been as used as a Divas Battle Royale. It hasn’t even been slightly tainted like a Hell in a Cell Match or Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match because of annual appearances. It hasn’t been laboured out like Cage match either. It still remains a Special Attraction of sorts.

Any Stat-guy worth his salt would tell you, however, that what we must aim for is not Minimum or Maximum but simply put, Optimum. In order to be claimed as the best match-type of all, it not only has to be something that gets rarely used for a special occasion but at the same time, has a rich history to show off of. This is where it separates itself from the likes of Inferno Match or a Punjabi Prison match which have been used so scarcely that you wouldn’t even know that they exist.

The Street Fight was once used as a stepping stone to bring back to the forefront a former, retired and crippled legend in Shawn Michaels. The match was so satisfying that he gave us another eight years of a career which, if seen singularly, is a Hall of Fame career in itself. And who can forget about that one night when Triple H was ‘made’ by Cactus Jack? There are so many gems in the storied history of Street Fight which makes a strong case for why a Street Fight should be considered as one of the greatest match type, if not the greatest.

There is a reason why a Banana Milkshake won’t sell for all you have in your pocket in a Five Star Restaurant but a Cape Gammon Banana Shake would. Like every single Chef in the world will tell you, you can bring a unique combination of food items together, cook them in a certain special way, decorate the dish in the most attractive way but you haven’t won your customer’s money until and unless you name your dish artistically. The Street Fight is nothing but a No Disqualification, Falls Count Anywhere match but it has been given a different name so as to strike a chord with the masses, so as to give it a special meaning. It may not be the most extra-ordinary name that there is but it is a name which distances itself from the ordinary.

Wrestling is famously known as the male soap opera. It is the sports entertainment. The soap opera part of the wrestling is the feuds. Feuds may begin with a match, or a mere confrontation. They may last for only a week or a day or in some cases, they may begin with the Kindergarten and end with one of the two being buried (Example: AJ Styles Vs Chritopher Daniels). But some feuds last just for the right amount of time and culminate at the pinnacle of that feud. I earlier alluded to the Street Fight being the Orgasm of Wrestling and this is why – it is something that you can use to culminate, to end a feud.

The most recent example of such a feud would be the feud between Chris Jericho and CM Punk. It began with Chris Jericho claiming that CM Punk stole what was his, the feud then developed further and ended up being a very personal feud or in more attractive words, a blood feud. If we were to explain what a blood feud is in a nutshell – it is where we, the audience, are invested emotionally and heavily in.

To end such a blood feud, there needs to be a match that forces the wrestlers involved to go an extra step, to use their anger and desperation to produce something more emotional. The Street Fight allows them to do just that. It elevates the feud in that way and in most cases, raises the stock of both the wrestlers involved.

With that, I rest my case!

Indecision

It wasn’t a different morning in the McMahon mansion; Vince McMahon was used to waking up early in the morning. What was different this morning is that there was no sleep. An array of thoughts ranging from positive to negative to downright strange were going through his mind throughout the night.

He remembered the meeting with Bret Hart, telling him to accept the offer of WCW and to leave WWE. It turned out to be a little difficult than he had initially imagined. There was no conflict as such, but what was difficult was the dent it had made in his heart. It felt like a part of his self was going away.

When Hulk Hogan left the WWE, it gave Vince the ultimate understanding – nothing and no one is going to last forever. As such, he was ready to let go Bret Hart, from a business standpoint but it was a little difficult to let go of him from a personal standpoint. Bret Hart was considered a gifted mat technician but he was more renowned for his obedience. It was, thus, difficult to picture him in the almost similar situation as Ultimate Warrior, who was nothing but a spoilt brat.

He hadn’t thought in a million years that Ted Turner’s WCW would use Kevin Nash and Scott Hall the way they did. On the night the NWO was born, a wheel was set running – a wheel of endless possibilities. The war had begun and the envelope was pushed so far that he believed it will end only when one of the two dies, either WWF or WCW; not NWO, which was just a fictitious organization anyway.

If not for these life-changing circumstances, he would have never considered doing what he was still only considering of doing. He was still in the state of indecision; however, he knew what it all will come down to – what is right for the business.
 
Once a week visit to the Church had been a regular for Earl Hebnar, but his visits had increased in the recent days. He was in cross roads, after all. A decision was to be made.

When he reached home, a letter from the bank was awaiting him. It said that he had missed two installments of the loan which he had taken to buy that very home. He looked at his wife, Mrs. Hebner and then his son, young Master Hebner.

Option wasn’t really there for him.

Paul Levesque was flexing his muscles at the Gym. An image kept appearing before his eyes. Those eyes – deep blue eyes – they commanded both respect and attention. It felt like a black magic had been practiced on him. There isn’t any other possible justification for the idea that was born in his mind. Ever since he saw Stephanie McMahon…. he wasn’t the same.

Shawn Michales managed to get out of his bed, somehow, unawares of where he was, how his night had gone. Alone in the room, he doubted whether that was the case the whole night. He was happy; however, to know that the day he would finally overcome his arch-nemesis was coming close.

As he kept thinking of Bret Hart, his anger kept growing. He took a pen and a paper and jotted down a few letters in anger, a method he adopted many years ago to calm himself down. Seb ast i an Ed uar do Cri sma nich. As if, that made any sense.

Vince kept going back to the day he met Ric Flair and offered him to join WWF along with his WCW World Championship… the ‘Real’ World Champion… the day he fired Eric Bischoff… the hate in his eyes for Vince… Bret Hart… WWF Champion.. What if?
  

Raw 1000

Coffee Table Thoughts {14} : Raw 1000

The Hype and The Social Media

Raw’s 1000th episode is right down the corner and I, as much as anyone else, am pretty much excited for this historic event. The WWE hype machine has done a very commendable job of creating fan interest in the milestone achieving episode.

Unfortunately, I would be busy preparing tax returns in a very taxing season in my office and wouldn’t be having the free wifi connection that I use to watch all the wrestling events, while the Raw goes live. I will surely be catching up the event, but it will be a little late. It will be Tuesday morning here in India, when the show gets aired live in the United States of America, and I would literally be craving for the office hours to end and reach back home to see Raw.

On the non television front, they have made quite a deal about the social media experience and are seriously pursuing new methods of involving the fans, hilariously known as WWE Universe (A Vince McMahon-Paul Heyman Shoot joke). Regulars over here seem to be up in the arms about this new addiction of the WWE, but I actually like this new initiative.

They have appointed Charlie Sheen as their Social Media something something for this 1000th episode especially and it would be a fun to follow his tweets on that day. I have heard that his tweets are entertaining in very Scott Steiner way and I wouldn’t want to miss out on the fun. Reading tweets is one enjoyable experience if you are not going to see it unfold in front of your eyes.

Then there is Tout. Tout is quite a unique fan interaction methodology and I think WWE have made a right decision at the right time. In the e-world that is growing every single day, you wouldn’t know which side of the technological R-evolution is going to hit you hard. In my opinion, WWE is one of those companies which are most vulnerable to such kind of technological stuff. It was WWF which put all its stars on the prime time television and brought an end to the territory system. It may be difficult to digest the thought that such type of video sharing app is going to be of any impact on the WWE’s business, but you may never know. It seems an interesting concept and seems to be tailor-made for the kind of fan base that WWE enjoys. You get to upload a 15-second video which can be seen by millions as well as the WWE management and superstars. I may never personally upload such a video, but I can see how it would be attractive to someone young. I have read somewhere that WWE, apart from having a business relation with the software company, has also made investments in it. It seems to be a step in the right direction and may even create a new revenue stream for the company. The new generation is all about connectivity and it is good to know that WWE is taking very proactive approach in luring the young fans into their product through many innovative ways.

I would go as far as to say that with the kind of economy that is there in its biggest market – the home market, they will have to consider other ways of earning revenue than mere Pay Per Views. The concept of ‘Pay Per View’ hasn’t even taken off in India, so I don’t know about its details but I read on the Wikipedia that Vince McMahon was one of the pioneers of this business. And all signs point that they are going to move away from the PPV concept, at least to a certain extent, when they will be launching their own channel.

The 3 Hour Format

I have been a fan of the wrestling product for the much of my life and enjoy the WWE product most often but this 3 hour stuff that they will be carrying on now onwards seems a little Golden Goose-ish to me. There is a very fitting term called ‘market saturation’ and this step feels like it has all the makings to be the next example of the same in the management books. Many a times in the past year, it has been very difficult for me to sit through an entire episode of Raw. I have to use a lot of fast-forwarding. Sometimes, I just skip entire episodes of Raw or Smackdown. It may result in a lot of similar sentiment amongst other WWE fans and this may ultimately result in a feeling of being exhausted.  

But if they have decided to go full blown on the three hour format for Raw, then they must have thought about the content beforehand. As per the news on the main page, it is being said that the added hour will be featuring more of the fan-interaction social media stuff that most of us have come to hate. I don’t particularly hate the idea. I may not like this part of the show myself, but some other fan-group may be interested in this type of stuff.

However, I would want the first hour, in such a case to be only about the fan-interaction, social media stuff. Because if it does involve some sort of storyline development or a match, then what you are doing is forcing your fans to make a decision. You are essentially forcing them to ask themselves whether they are ready to sit there the entire hour to go through a lot of shit in order to not miss out on something important. And if they do decide to drop the first hour (which they most certainly will), then they are forced to ask themselves this next question, whether they are ready to go through the entirety of two hours without knowing whether something important took place in the first hour or not. That may become very frustrating for a lot of the casual fans and ultimately result in them abandoning the product altogether.

At this point, however, these are just rumours. Instead of assigning the new hour to the social media, they may go with a completely new content, like the Cruiserweight division or they may even go the old school way and try to make their product more balanced by giving the mid-card and the lower-card something well worth to do. God knows the Tag Team division, United States and Intercontinental Division (if these things exist, that is) and the Divas division could do with some more time and at least some type of storyline. And if they have decided to go this route than I am all for it.

The Raw 1000 itself

As I said before, they have put all of their (best) effort in hyping up this show. The biggest angles and stuff that are already advertised are:

1. DX Reunion featuring Triple H and Shawn Michaels

2. Brock Lesnar answers the Triple H challenge

3. CM Punk vs John Cena for the WWE Championship match

4. Appearance from The Rock

5. Christian defends his Intercontinental Championship

6. Chris Jericho will make his presence felt

7. Daniel Bryan-AJ Lee wedding

8. Heath Slater faces off against another Legend

Wow, that’s hell of a too much for an episode of Raw.

This isn’t the episode that you can afford to miss. Whether you are a fan of nostalgia shows/special attractions or not, this is just the kind of epicness that you just can not hate or complain much about. I am looking forward to all of the above attractions. The least interesting of all those seems to be the DX Reunion. But boy, oh boy, if it does turn out to be what it is rumoured to be, I am going to mark the f out and this will instantaneously become one of my most favourite moments in the wrestling, period.

I won’t go in detail on what I am expecting from the each of the above segments or what else I expect to see, but there is this WWE Championship match which in my opinion is a very vital particle of the WWE’s future. The build to this match has been quite simple, John Cena won the WWE MITB Contract and decided to face CM Punk for the WWE Championship. He hasn’t been the WWE Champion in almost a year and for him, it is about time that he regains that Championship. It’s that simple. Or is it?

I agree it has been a very thin build on the surface but if you dig a little deep, isn’t this a subtle, yet very hard hitting scenario? From the epic shoot promo of CM Punk to two top notch matches, which by the way, did not result in a pure clean victory for CM Punk. That desire and resolve of Punk to rise to the top, the solid stance of John Cena to be himself no matter what.

Those little nuggets that began in the IWC that John Cena was still The Man, those same views were expressed in not so unclear words on the WWE television. Eve mocking Punk that AJ Lee will steal the spotlight from Punk just like John Cena, The Rock, Triple H and Brock Lesnar. The remark by the Big Show ‘Do you really think these fans care for you? This company revolves around one person’. Is that one person, John Cena?

That very little confrontation between the two just before the Money in the Bank, ‘If you win, John, then that’s back to you and me’. One year after one of the most exciting periods in wrestling, we are back there, just where we started.

We need answer to just one little question.

Who really is the best in the world?

A few things TNA

A few things TNA

Welcome everyone to the Coffee Table Thoughts 15. Today, I want to discuss the on goings in the number 2 wrestling organisation in the United States of America, TNA Wrestling.

There are a number of things going on in Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling’s weekly show called Impact Wrestling. Among all the storylines progressing there, the most prominent one has to be the one involving a group known as Aces and Eights.

Aces and Eights. It represents a group of people, hiding their identity with the help of faceless masks, moving and doing things together, raising hell in Impact wrestling by attacking the superstars like a pack of wolves. They have sent a strong message to the TNA roster with their actions - well, the message is not as clear right now, but we can assume it has something to do with adding more lights in the TNA backstage area, to not let each and every kind of a fan inside the locker room areas - you don’t know what shit they’re gonna pull. They have not only attacked the superstars, but those charged with the governance too. The list of casualties caused by them include the Current World Heavyweight (?) Champion - Double A, the best heel in a long time - Robert Roode, professional wrestling’s only gold medalist - Kurt Angle, probably the greatest superstar of our beloved industry (second only to Stone Cold Steve Austin) - Hulk Hogan, the brightest future of TNA Wrestling - what was that Indy guy’s name again?

As revolutionary as this angle may seem, I think TNA has taken a huge risk by going this route. They have done a lot of right things in the recent past and are seemingly on a path to keep getting better and better and have appeared as more and more mature with the kind of storylines they have pulled barring a few exceptions. This particular dinosaur of an idea, the group attacks by unknown or known people, may never get old in true sense and may be relied on by the wrestling organisations world over in every few years, but it is still fresh in people’s minds. And not only the WWE, even TNA has had its fair share of group attacks when the Main Event Mafia Fortune led an attack on the Immortal last year. This particular route may seem a bit childish even for us wrestling fans, when it takes place almost annually.

Obviously, there are differences between the storylines involving the likes of NWO and Nexus as compared to Aces and Eights (that name is pretty cool, I will give you that) with the attackers not being revealed and it is different from Fortune too in that the attackers are actually people who can possibly be from outside of the current TNA roster.

And to their credit, TNA has so far handled this storyline quite brilliantly. Alongside these attacks, Robert Roode has found out a way to put James Storm in a vulnerable position by claiming that he is the leader of Aces and Eights. This blatant accusation coupled with the obvious proofs that lead us to believe that James Storm may indeed have a hand in these attacks or at least, he may have some sort of influence on this group. Kurt Angle was taken out by them when he was supposed to face James Storm; AJ Styles was taken out by the group while James Storm was left untouched in the ring. They didn’t interfere in the match between James Storm and Kurt Angle when it was clear that James Storm was winning the match; and he indeed won the match.

All these circumstances, by the wrestling logic 101 actually prove that James Storm is not behind these attacks and that he is not the member of the group but it will take some time to reach there.

The most intriguing question to come out of all this is - Who are these guys? What is their motive?

And the most intriguing question in a non-kayfabe sense is - Whether TNA will be able to answer these questions effectively?

My initial response to this would be, No.

As much as TNA has handled this brilliantly, the angle cannot really become a success without revealing some interesting names behind the masks.

*Spoiler Alert*

Few of the names making rounds as possible names behind these attacks are unflattering. Luke Gallows and Chris Masters have had their share of success in WWE, but they are not the names you would jump out of your couch for. The impact (pun) of their debut in TNA cannot justify the amount of effort and screen-time that has been allotted to this particular storyline.

I do like Chris Masters and was quietly hoping for good things in his future when he was a regular staple in the WWE Superstars and was about to be given push to the main roster. I will definitely enjoy watching him in the impact wrestling fighting against the likes of Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe and James Storm. He is someone that probably every fan will recognise, but he is also a name that fans will only recognise. Neither cheer nor loathe.

I had seen Luke Gallows in the Straight Age Society alongside the Messiah but I am not aware of much of his work. He may be a good enough talent and may prove to be a good asset for the company in years to come, but may not be enough of a shock value.

Unlike the two mentioned above, the next few names that I am going to take, do have a potential to make this angle click.

First name that comes to mind is John Morrison. John Morrison was one of the most over superstars of WWE when his contract ended with the WWE a little under a year ago and neither party made any attempt to renew the contract. However, from all the interviews that he gave afterwards and from what he has been saying all along, it looks like he is still hoping for a return to the big ‘E.

On a flip side, he may have come to believe that his chances of returning to the organisation are thin and that he may have a more successful run with TNA. In any case, he will certainly be a huge enough name that can give enough amount of shock on being revealed as a member of that group.

Next name is MVP. It has been too long that MVP has been seen in any major promotion in the USA. He has largely been on a hiatus as far as the more casual fans go. MVP is another huge name that can have a huge impact in the form of a Aces and Eights. There may be a concern as to his popularity because of not being seen on the television in a long time but I think the audience in TNA will surely recognise him. Again, his joining with the TNA would be different from what we have been hearing from him ever since he left WWE, but things and minds do change.

The last realistic name that comes to my mind is a controversial figure in wrestling today. I am talking about none other than Matt Hardy. Matt Hardy has had his share of issues with the pro wrestling industry in last few years. He was released from his TNA contract not a long while ago for unprofessional behaviour; he had removed himself from the WWE in hopes for a better future at TNA and had caused a lot of problem due to his sick social media activities. This does not count the issues he has had with addiction.

But we haven’t heard of any of these problems in a long time and his younger brother Jeff Hardy has become quite a major force within TNA so as to at least provide an opportunity to Matt Hardy to right the wrongs. Who really knows? This is a mere speculation on my part.

And who knows, maybe TNA is onto something here? If they can’t get any realistically huge names from the number one wrestling company in the world, what if they move a little downward? What if they involve some AAA players in it to get reap some benefits in the evr so important Latino market? Or...may be Jinder Mahal? Wow!

A Small Recap

These are a few thoughts on what went down in the TNA land this past week.

There was a very fun match between the team of Austin Aries and Kenny King Vs the team of Robert Roode and Zema Ion. It was everything that you would expect your main event to be. The only difference being, it was not the main event.

Speaking of fun matches, a four way match was held to determine who would become the next contender for the Knockouts division. I liked the involvement of all four knockouts in it and it involved some entertaining spots. While the ending wasn’t very clever, nor was it cleverly executed, it does make more sense in terms of booking as it involves a heel-face dynamic.

The third match worth watching this week was the match we were refused two weeks ago – James Storm Vs. Kurt Angle. A main event worth being the main event. And every time Kurt Angle locks on the ankle lock, in a different way than what he did the last time, I loath Jack Swagger that much more. He is supposed to be this decent to great wrestler but I have never really seen him perform an interesting set of moves and reversals. His matches may be more interesting than your average Joe (i.e. matches involving Average Joe, not Average Joe himself), but they aren’t really that great.

While the fans in general have disliked the whole AJ Styles-Dixie Carter-Clair Lynch (Spelling?) saga, I find the involvement of CD and Kaz very hilarious; and that’s what the segment involving them was this Thursday – hilarious. Check it out to get a chuckle or two from the baby shower celebrations.

I am a fan of the Joseph Park character and I like that he is further getting involved in different capacity. And the small conversation he had with Sting? Marvellous! Sting has this ability to be funny without saying much and that is in full effect in here. ‘That power slam that you did? Textbook! What, you are gonna Kayfabe me now?’ Similar to this very conversation, there was one involving Sting and Austin Aries two weeks ago. It was when Sting told Austin Aries to handle the whole Open Fight Night stuff and choose one X-Division wrestler to face the X-Division champion. You really need to listen to the pep talk that Sting gave to Austin Aries. Mild humour at its best.

Chavo Guerrero debuted in TNA with much fan-fare. It was kind of absurd watching the kind of hero’s welcome that he received. I am not against it, nor am I saying he shouldn’t be getting it. But it seemed they over-hyped his debut in the TNA. Chavo Guerrero has never been that huge a name as compared to the rest of his family, and what he got was more because of his family than because of himself. But does this point to the possibility that TNA have huge things planned for Chavo in the future? I think he hasn’t really been given that one huge opportunity to prove himself, will he get it here? Will he run with the ball the same way that Bully Ray has done so far? We will have to find that out!

The next TNA pay per view, which I believe goes by the name of Hardcore Justice, has three matches involving the Bound for Glory series. All three matches will be having four participants, effectively including all of the names involved in the BFG series. Each match has a special condition attached to it – Ladder, Table or Falls Count Anywhere. That’s all the details I am giving here, but be ensured that these three matches alongwith the World Heavyweight Championship bout between Austin Aries and Robert Roode are potential show stealers. That’s four matches for you!

The Three Champions

Coffee Table Thoughts {13}– A blog-ish return

I have been watching the wrestling product and soaking in both the Columns Forum and the Main Page columns, but haven’t been able to get myself ready to write a column and share my opinions on any particular topic.

And you know what, the situation hasn’t changed yet. I still haven’t found anything in particular to talk about. I am beginning this shindig (shinding?) and hope that it will be worth your time. So welcome all, to the column that is named after coffee but gets written with either a cup of tea or a cup of Bourn-Vita.

The Three Champions

The Three Champions. Three men that are above everyone else in the world of professional wrestling today. Three champions, during the same timeframe, have never been more symbolic of the world of professional wrestling. They are symbolic of the future, of the path their respective organisations have chosen. They are indicators of the change. And more than that, the way they became champions is what defines their respective organisations more than any column written by the use of 900 odd words could ever define.

CM Punk

 

CM Punk – The WWE Champion. The Chosen One – no – he’s rather someone who thrust himself in the spotlight going against the authority. That’s the one thing you are expected to do in the WWE, well now-a-days at least. Build yourself up. The company is going to try every chance to push you but they expect your contribution to be much more than that of the creative.

CM Punk’s WWE title reign began with much fan fare. He was the talk of the town, much like a superstar from the major league should be. He was honoured the crown on a historic night when everyone was there to see it. On that night, CM Punk might have been the most blessed human being on the face of the planet earth.

It all stalled though. Not unlike the WWE product in general. As is the case with any major storyline run by the WWE, it always falls over backwards while trying to reach the ropes. We questioned the logic, we questioned the pace. In the end though, it isn’t difficult to accept that CM Punk has been chosen as the future, the ‘face’, so to speak.

But like all things WWE, it had its moments, the ones that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

And it is indicative of the fact that the WWE wants to move towards the youth brigade. It has started featuring its young guns in prominent roles. They are not there as yet, but the trigger will be pulled any moment now and the revolution will begin. He is currently in an engaging and entertaining feud against Daniel Bryan.

Bobby Roode

 

Bobby Roode is the TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He was given a great start through last year’s Bound For Glory series and he was destined to be a great champion with a great moment that every fan would remember till the day he breathes his last breath. But alas, that wasn’t to be.

That moment was stolen away from him and when they realised that they had stumbled over, they just changed the outcome and mocked us for being ‘stupid’ and ‘markish’. But it wasn’t the same...or was it?

What we now have is a Bobby Roode who is very different from the BFG Series 2011, a Bobby Roode who is the longest reigning TNA World Heavyweight Champion, a Bobby Roode who is over like rover and not only that but has the capability to build an entire army of face wrestlers by feuding with them.

Bobby Roode is the future of this company. It is the sign that the company wants to give chance to those who were never in the main event before and in this case, it also represents company’s old guard, the ones who were forgotten once the more famous names started to come over. He is currently feuding with the Austin Aries and I’m sure Double A is going to get a nice rub out of it. Okay okay, he doesn’t need one, I get that.

I had joked about this whole situation last year – TNA had fallen over, they did everything wrong, they created swerves where none were required and yet somehow, even after all the loose cannon stuff they did reach where they wanted to reach with their youngsters.

Kevin Steen

 

This is the guy that I would like to talk – or write more about but wouldn’t be able to. I saw the buzz on the net about this unusual guy and I was curious. I watched his promos and I joined the bandwagon. He is Kevin Steen and he is the ROH World Champion.

I said I would like to talk more about him, but wouldn’t be able to, that’s because I have gone on hiatus from the ROH product. I would have liked to see the moment when after so many years of waiting and knocking on the doors, he would finally grab the big one, but I haven’t yet.

The night represented everything that the company stood for – a glorified indy promotion. Now I don’t hate on the ROH product, in fact I believe wrestling wise, it the absolute best of the three products. Even some of the promo work I have seen over there involves the edge that you don’t usually see in the WWE or TNA. And you have Maria as a female valet. But the night that he won represented the flaws with the company – a technical issue which had nothing to do with the storytelling, nothing to do with the in ring action, just reminding everyone that it is not as rich as the companies are.

And it represents change. ROH was till recently being headlined by the guys that had become Indy anti-darlings. A group of guys who would just wrestle and wrestle, keep hitting a move after move without any rhyme or reason and after a long wait, Kevin Steen arrived at the main event. Kevin Steen was quite different from these – vanilla creatures, and hence a beloved champion. It signalled the path that the company chose after having ridden on a completely different one for a considerable period of time.

And if you’ve read the above column and noticed three names of the four I mentioned before Kevin Steen, Kevin Steen is indeed the future of the wrestling. TNA or WWE.